OTHER THEME PARKS

Disneyland and Magic Kingdom:
The Best of Both Worlds

by
Laura Gilbreath
ALL EARS® Guest Columnist

This
article first appeared in the
March 15, 2005, Issue #286 of ALL EARS® (ISSN: 1533-0753)

I've been
going to Disneyland since I was a child, so it's the park I grew up with.
I didn't make my first visit to the Magic Kingdom until I was 27. I will
say up front that although there are a lot of things I like about Magic
Kingdom, when it comes to the individual parks I prefer Disneyland.

Of course
there are a lot of differences between the two parks, but in the interests
of making this article of reasonable length, I can't possibly address
all of them. So I'm going to concentrate on the things that I think are
important differences. Those "Wow, that's really different!"
differences. Or the "Why didn't they do that HERE?" differences.
Or the "What were they thinking?" differences. But seriously...
hopefully by the end of this article you'll have an idea of some of the
things that really set Disneyland apart from Magic Kingdom, and vice versa.

So let's
start with... size. Disneyland is a lot smaller than Magic Kingdom --
85 acres as opposed to 107 acres. I especially notice the size difference
when walking around Main Street and the hub area -- Disneyland seems like
it's one-half to two-thirds the size. I think that the smaller size gives
Disneyland's Main Street more of the "small town" feel that
Walt Disney was trying to simulate, although it's Magic Kingdom's Main
Street where you still have the opportunity to get your hair cut at the
Harmony Barber Shop -- and maybe even be serenaded by the Dapper Dans
barbershop quartet at the same time.

But Disneyland's
Main Street has managed to avoid turning into one big plush shop and still
retains some uniq ue shops and attractions -- the Magic Shop, 20th Century
Music Company, and Disneyana are still there. You'll also find the Main
Street Cinema, where they still show vintage Disney cartoons like Steamboat
Willie, and in the Main Street Opera House is Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.
This theatrical presentation includes a movie and 3-D sound, but the highlight
is the "performance" of the life-like audio-animatronic figure
of President Lincoln. The original show premiered at the 1964 New York
World's Fair with Disney's first life-size audio-animatronic figure, and
came to Disneyland in 1966, though the current "Mr. Lincoln"
is far more technologically advanced than the original.

As you walk
down Main Street at Disneyland there may be something that you don't notice...
and that's the castle. Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle is only 77
feet tall -- you can't even see it very well until you get to the hub.
If you're used to seeing Magic Kingdom's Cinderella Castle it's quite
a disappointment -- it's just so... SMALL. When I think about "fairytale
castles" it's something like Cinderella Castle that comes to my mind.
At 189 feet tall, that soaring architectural fantasy dominates the Magic
Kingdom's skyline. (N.B. Sleeping Beauty Castle has recently received
a very extensive makeover in preparation for Disneyland's 50th anniversary,
and is much more detailed and visually interesting than ever before --
but it's still short.)

Disneyland
has its own landmark feature, though -- Matterhorn Mountain. It's more
than 140 feet high -- tall enough that you can see it from the nearby
freeway. As kids, my brother and I each tried to be the first one to spot
it. Oh, who am I kidding? I STILL look for it when I'm driving by Disneyland
on Interstate 5!

The Matterhorn
is also the setting for an attraction unique to Disneyland: the Matterhorn
Bobsleds. It's a roller coaster ride up, down, and through Matterhorn
Mountain. There are two different tracks, and if the timing is right you
can "race" the bobsled next to you. Inside the mountain you'll
have several encounters with the Abominable Snowman -- never mind that
he's supposed to be from the Himalayas rather than the Swiss Alps. The
ride is quite jerky and rough with lots of sudden turns -- this is definitely
not a smooth modern roller coaster.

This "fantastic
mountain" lies at the edge of Fantasyland. And Disneyland's Fantasyland
truly IS a fantasy -- the buildings look like they came right out of a
fairytale storybook. No flat, painted facades here -- the buildings are
meticulously detailed and filled wit h old-world charm. Toad Hall is a
wonderful re-creation of an old English brick manor house and Snow White's
Scary Adventures is housed in an authentic-looking medieval castle. Watch
the window above the entrance -- the Evil Queen appears regularly! Or
look at the Storybook Land Canal Boats -- Magic Kingdom doesn't have anything
as fantastic as sailing into the mouth of a whale and then past miniature
scenes from Disney movies. All of the vegetation is miniature, too --
it's a wonderful exhibition of the art of Bonsai.

I'm not a
fan of "it's a small world" (and anyone who knows me knows what
an understatement THAT is), but the building at Disneyland is practically
an attraction in and of itself. There's a magical clock tower with a musical
"children's march of nations" every 15 minutes. And the grounds
around the building feature a veritable zoo of topiary animals. Unless
the Magic Kingdom attraction's recent rehab has made exterior changes,
too, Disneyland's version is far superior.

When you
walk from Disneyland's Fantasyland to Tomorrowland, you may see a monorail
zoom right over you on its way to the Tomorrowland monorail station. That's
right -- at Disneyland the monorail is actually an attraction inside the
park, and requires Disneyland admission to ride. To board at the Downtown
Disney monorail station at the other end, you must pass through security
and present valid admission at the turnstile. There can be quite a long
line since the Disneyland monorails are much smaller and there are not
as many of them. There's also no standing allowed -- though the monorails
are short enough that you wouldn't want to!

Disneyland's
Tomorrowland was refurbished in the 1990s with a Jules Verne "Tomorrow
That Never Was" look -- I must admit that it was colorful, with all
the bronze and rust and greenish "copper patina," but I was
never really a fan. My favorite is actually Magic Kingdom's Tomorrowland
-- it has kitschy "futuristic" touches that remind me of something
out of The Jetsons, like the metal palm trees and the robot paperboy.
And I prefer the cleaner, more contemporary (no, not the hotel) look.
At Disneyland you can't ride the Tomorrowland Transit Authority and be
reminded to "keep all forward-facing tentacles inside the vehicle."
(In preparation for the 50th anniversary, Disneyland's Tomorrowland is
in the process of getting a makeover -- the roof of Space Mountain no
longer sports the "Jules Verne" look and is back to the original
white, and a number of other buildings are undergoing some cosmetic changes
as well. Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters opens this spring, and Space Mountain
w ill come out of its LONG rehab this summer.)

I think that
a lot of the appeal of Disneyland is in the "little things,"
as our friend and ALL EARS® columnist Zamgwar would put it. Take Disneyland's
Toontown, for instance. Toontown at Disneyland is a fun and whimsical
place with a number of surprises -- try opening the door on the mailbox
or standing on the manhole cover! The buildings are very brightly colored
with lots of interesting details, such as the Mickey clock on top of Toontown
City Hall, which puts on a little performance each hour. Magic Kingdom's
Toontown is quite a disappointment to me -- it seems like a big character
greeting area and not much else. Disneyland's Toontown is also home to
an attraction you won't find in the Magic Kingdom -- Roger Rabbit's Car
Toon Spin. Take a taxi on a tour of the dark back alleys of Toontown and
spin yourself silly -- but watch out for weasels!

Despite its
smaller size, Disneyland actually has more attractions than Magic Kingdom.
The numbers vary depending on your definition of "attraction,"
so we won't get into that, but trust me, there's more at Disneyland. And
a number of them are unique attractions that aren't found in any other
Disney park.

One of these
is what I believe to be THE best attraction at either Disneyland or Walt
Disney World: The Indiana Jones Adventure. "Indy" is (believe
it or not) located in Adventureland. It begins with a long but VERY well-themed
queue, where you seem to be walking underground in an old temple. There
are tree roots, bats, stalactites, cryptic inscriptions on the walls,
and let's not forget booby traps! Eventually you reach the loading area
where your 12-passenger "jeep" (actually a mobile motion simulator,
cleverly d isguised as a jeep) awaits and you start your tour of the Temple
of the Forbidden Eye. Of course something goes wrong (you HAD to look!),
and you experience a much more... er... "extensive" tour of
the temple. The jeep bounces, jolts, stutters, stops, and makes lots of
sharp turns -- this is not a ride for those with back and neck problems.
It's also not for those who might be disturbed by dark places, skeletons,
spiders, rats, snakes (snakes, why did it have to be snakes?), and other
creepy-crawlies. There are some encounters with Indy himself, in the form
of several very sophisticated audio-animatronics, before your successful
return to the boarding area. It's really an amazing experience -- Dinosaur
at Animal Kingdom, even though it shares the same ride technology, really
can't compare to the Indiana Jones Adventure.

Although
both Disneyland and Magic Kingdom have the "hub-and-spoke" la
yout, some of the lands are placed differently. If you're familiar with
Magic Kingdom, you may find when visiting Disneyland that Frontierland
is not where you expect it to be... and vice versa. Frontierland at Disneyland
is in the area occupied by Liberty Square in Magic Kingdom. When I visit
Magic Kingdom I still think that Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Haunted
Mansion are in the "wrong" places.

Splash Mountain
is located in about the same place at both parks, but at Disneyland that
area has an additional "land" called Critter Country. I find
Magic Kingdom's Splash Mountain to be quite an improvement over the version
at Disneyland. In addition to telling a much more coherent story, the
interior lighting is much brighter and there are some fun touches, like
the "jumping fountains" in the "washtub" room. But
ewww... that mildew smell in the ride vehicles is awful!

Another Magic
Kingdom attraction that has been transplanted to Disneyland's Critter
Country is The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, which replaced Disneyland's
Country Bear Playhouse. (Let's see... Pooh evicted Mr. Toad at Magic Kingdom
and the Bears at Disneyland -- guess who got the better end of THAT deal...
neener, neener, neener!) Again, I like the Magic Kingdom version better
-- it's longer, the ceilings are higher, and the hunnypots bounce with
Tigger, an effect that is missing at Disneyland. There's more time to
sing along in the psychedelic heffalumps and woozles room, too. (Though
the hot-pink-with-neon-stripes Tigger at Disneyland is a sight to be seen!)
I also like the way the Magic Kingdom attraction uses pages from the book
to transition between many of the rooms.

An additional
"land" you won't find at Magic Kingdom is New Orleans Square.
I believe that New Orleans Square in Disneyland is the best themed of
any of the lands at either park. It's not very big, but there's a lot
of detail -- the narrow streets and wrought-iron railings really do look
like they came straight out of the French Quarter -- without the smell.
There are some interesting shops and restaurants and nooks and crannies.
Le Bat en Rouge (the Villains shop) is one of my favorites, and there
are several rather quiet out-of-the-way courtyards. The ambience in the
Blue Bayou restaurant is really well done, especially the firefly effect
and the "song of the swamp." (Unfortunately the food doesn't
measure up to the atmosphere.) And then there's private Club 33 -- the
Members Only club that's located above the Blue Bayou, and the only place
inside Disneyland that serves alcohol. Most people don't even know it's
there.

Disneyland's
Pirates of the Car ibbean is located in New Orleans Square rather than
in Adventureland. The Disneyland version of "Pirates" is longer
and features several additional scenes with skeletal pirates that aren't
in the Magic Kingdom version. "Dead Men Tell No Tales," you
know. Alas, Disneyland's "Pirates" has also been "politically
corrected" with kinder, gentler pirates that flee in terror from
women with rolling pins. Or maybe the women are just upset that none of
the pirates look like Johnny Depp.

This year
there are a lot of changes being made at both Disneyland and Magic Kingdom
in preparation for Disneyland's 50th birthday -- everything from new attractions
and updates to old attractions to new shows and parades. Walt Disney said,
"Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as
long as there is imagination left in the world." I think this year's
celebration sh ows us that this applies to ALL Disney parks.

I hope that
you'll have the opportunity to visit Disneyland during its 50th birthday
celebration -- and after reading this article I hope you'll still WANT
to.

In the spirit
of Disney tram drivers and Jungle Cruise skippers at both theme parks,
I offer the following in conclusion: If you enjoyed this article then
it was written by Laura Gilbreath, if not, then it was written by Debra
Martin Koma.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Laura
Gilbreath lives in southern California where she is a Disneyland Annual
Passholder -- but she actually spends more days per year at Walt Disney
World, where s he also holds an Annual Pass. She and her husband Lee,
with their faithful companions Tigger and Stitch, enjoy traveling and
maintain a web site of their adventures, Disney and otherwise, at http://www.travelswithtigger.com.